You know El Nino is heading for California but El Nino flooding is already occurring in Texas and the Gulf Coast, and will reach across the southern states to Florida then up the East Coast before spring. Extreme events, regardless of their labels happen every year in almost every state-and mostly without warning.

"Statewide, 17 people died...Rivers overflowed, seven inches of rain fell in a single day, and the damage cost California more than $400 million. It was California's wettest winter on record. It was the El Nino 1997-98."

#2. Everyone needs to buy a flood policy---Don't be fooled by the line on the map--25% of properties in the low to moderate risk flood zone will suffer a flood! Consumer Download:

In just the last few months we have seen flooding happen in low risk flood zones in South Carolina, Texas, and Nevada, brought on by extreme weather events in places that no one thought would flood. Don't be next.

#3. A flood policy is the only protection when the levees fail. Levees and dams are NOT built for extreme weather-they age, fail, and wipe out whole neighborhoods.Consumer Download: Living with Dams-Know your Risks

California lives with the levees on the LA river, while South Carolina just experienced levee failures-be aware--levees and dams can and do FAIL-America's dams earned a "D" in The American Society of Civil Engineers' (ASCE) most recent Report Card for America's Infrastructure(2013). About 4,000 dams in the country are in need of repairs - and about half of those deficient dams could cost lives if they were to fail.

Disaster Assistance is a loan-repayable with interest--"Longer-term rebuilding and repair work, however, is not covered by the federal program. Homeowners can apply for a low-interest loan from the US Small Business Administrationto repair or replace their primary residence to a pre-disaster condition, but loans are capped at $200,000, plus $40,000 for personal property, including automobiles, furniture, appliances and clothes."